D&D 5E Precise Strike [Feat]

[MonkeezOnFire]

And yes, it stacks with PAM and GWM, which is of concern. However at some point or another a non-fighter is spreading themselves thin: It takes 4 ASI to max the attack stat and Int, plus an ASI to take the feat, so a normal class has already used all of theirs.

My concern is that with enough feats granting bonus damage that characters won't have a reason to increase their attack stat, which feels off. The attack stat increases damage and accuracy, but accuracy isn't a huge issue because a) it also scales with proficiency and b) there are so many ways to increase accuracy through spells, accuracy or other class features.

The eldritch knight and arcane trickster especially have many ways to grant advantage, the biggest being a familiar spamming the help action. And since they already have a reason to bump int, int just becomes their primary stat.

 

[Ganymede81]

I cannot find this rule anywhere. Could you point me in the right direction?

My reading is that a natural 20 is an automatic hit AND a critical hit (two separate qualities). Improved Critical (Champion ability) does NOT guarantee a hit on a 19.

Clearly we read the same rule in different ways. The rule is awkwardly written, to be sure, but I'd instead argue that the two qualities are actually tied together and that the first notation is a redundancy.

Personally, it strains credulity to argue that an attack can be both a critical hit and a miss at the same time.

I believe at one point Yunru was talking about restricting the feat to melee weapon attacks, which would remove all spells and all ranged. Would that restriction meet your goal?

Likely not. It is still a hell of a boost for any melee class that is incentivized to have a higher than normal Intelligence: Eldritch Blades, Arcane Tricksters, Bladesingers, and some Mystics.

Bear in mind, this is kinda Yunru's shtick: post a crazy house rule then get defensive when people call it crazy.

 

[merwins]

Clearly we read the same rule in different ways. The rule is awkwardly written, to be sure, but I'd instead argue that the two qualities are actually tied together and that the first notation is a redundancy.

Personally, it strains credulity to argue that an attack can be both a critical hit and a miss at the same time.

Hey, I didn't write the rulebook.

But I hunted for corroboration/clarification. Turns out your interpretation is the preferred one.
https://rpg.stackexchange.com/quest...panded-crit-range-always-hit-regardless-of-ac

Good to know, and good thing this hasn't come up in my game before now. I hate having to retcon or change future rulings after verifying rules. I'd rather be right the first time. Or at least have a more strongly defensible position.

 

[Darkness]

... Bear in mind, this is kinda Yunru's shtick: post a crazy house rule then get defensive when people call it crazy.

Let's aim for the argument and not the user behind it, please. If this user's threads aren't your cup of tea, feel free not to open them and instead do something you enjoy more.

 

[Blue]

Revised:
Precise Strike:
13 Intelligence
You know enough anataomy to be able to aim your strikes for crucial points to maximize damage. As a result your critical hit range for melee attacks increases by your Intelligence modifier.

I still think this gives too much for a high INT and that stacks too well with existing damage boosters. Especially with advantage and bonus damage dice like Sneak Attack or Divine Smite. How about:

Precise Strike:
13 Intelligence
Your crit range increases by one - this will stack with other abilities that affect your crit range. You do +INT damage when you critically hit.

This is actually a boost for the 13 Int character - it's the same crit range and a little damage. But it doesn't make it a no-brainer for anyone with lots of bonus dice because it's just giving out Champion level boosts plus some extra damage. And it stacks with Champion, which isn't a selling point but has some value if someone wants to to go crit fishing.

Oh, just like GWM, you need to build to take full advantage of this. Advantage, on-crit bonuses, etc.

 

[Satyrn]

I still think this gives too much for a high INT and that stacks too well with existing damage boosters. Especially with advantage and bonus damage dice like Sneak Attack or Divine Smite. How about:

Precise Strike:
13 Intelligence
Your crit range increases by one - this will stack with other abilities that affect your crit range. You do +INT damage when you critically hit.

This is actually a boost for the 13 Int character - it's the same crit range and a little damage. But it doesn't make it a no-brainer for anyone with lots of bonus dice because it's just giving out Champion level boosts plus some extra damage. And it stacks with Champion, which isn't a selling point but has some value if someone wants to to go crit fishing.

Oh, just like GWM, you need to build to take full advantage of this. Advantage, on-crit bonuses, etc.

This looks more reasonable, although I think I'd forget the bonus damage on a crit rather often.


Also, @Yunru, it's a shame you're not DMing my gnome battlemaster, because then you could see your feat in play with a character that could really get a lot out of it.

My gnome's a dual wielding brute who for has a 14 Int. I think getting to crit on an 18-20 would be fun, because critting is fun. And we'd get to see if 2 things happened after I took this feat:

1) Do I save all my Superiority Dice for when I crit?
2) Do I pump up my Int with future ASIs?

It would be interesting.

And as he stands right now, I'm getting no mechanical benefit from his high int, other than being able to say I'm probably the smartest fighter in 5e